Carbid-feeding mechanism.



Patented May 6, I902.

J. C. KEMP. CABBID FEEDING MECHANISM.

(Application filed June 19, 1901.)

(N0 Mudel.)

' INVENTOR:

m 6. 1% Byf I I W WITNESSES Q. 6

ATTORNEY.

UNTTED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. KEMP, OF OTTERBEIN, INDIANA.

CARBlD-FEEDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,394, dated May 6, 1902. Application filed June 19,1901. Serial No. 65,112. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. KEMP, a citiaen of the United States, residing at Otterbein, in the county of Benton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oarbid-Feeding Mechanism; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to devices whereby the carbid used in producing acetylene gas may be automatically fed in proper quantities or so admitted to the water for generating the gas, and it has reference more particularly to the devices comprising the regulatin g or feed valve.

The invention also has reference to the vessel in which the carbid is stored and the vessel in which the gas is produced.

My object is to provide devices of the above character which may be reliable operatively and durable and at the same time be cheaply constructed, so as to be adapted particularly for domestic purposes, as well as for larger gas plants.

Another and no less important object is to provide apparatus which shall be free from the dangers of explosionfrom overpressure.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a gas-generator embodying my improvements and a gasometerof common type connected therewith, the View being in vertical central section; Fig. 2, a fragmentary detail view showing the feed-valve in contact with the upper seat in the valve-case, and Fig. 3 a fragmentary detail view showing the feedvalve in contact with the lower seat in the valve-case.

In the drawings similar reference characters in the several figures indicate corresponding parts. I

Broadly considered,the invention comprises as the principal elements a valve-case having two opposing valve-seats and a double-acting valve in the case adapted to operate upon either of the valve-seats for regulating the supply of carbid and also for cutting oif the supply when necessary.

The invention also comprises a generator vessel having a stationary upper vessel or gas-receiver having a water seal, and it also includes a carbid-holder connected with the valve-case which is of novel form, the holder, the valve-case, and the gas-generatin g cl1amher being in communication.

Considered specifically, in construction I provide a circular valve-case a, which as constructed is clear internally and is provided at its lower end with a valve-seat d, facing upwardly, and at its upper end with a valveseat 6, facing downwardly, the case being swelled or enlarged intermediately of the valve-seats. As preferably formed, the lower portion of the case, considered in the relation in which it is used, is in the well-known form of a funnel, having relatively long sloping sides 6, at the broader upper portion '7 of which it is joined by the upper portion of the case, which is also in the shape of a funnel, having relatively short sloping sides, but inverted in relation to the lower portion of the case, the smaller ends of the funnels being open and the inner edges of the orifices forming the opposing valve-seats d and 6, respectively; otherwise the case is imperforate. The case may be suitably supported and connected, so that the carbid escaping therefrom may be conveyed to the generating vessel of any suitable type.

In the case a, as above described, isa double-acting.valve b, formed substantially in the shape of two cones having their bases abutting and joined together, the apexes of the cones being the ends of the valve. Thus the part of the valve having the greater diameter, as at 1, is the line at which the cones join, and as one cone is preferably longer than the other that portion 1 is not midway between the ends of the valve, being in the present case below the middle of the valve, so that the sides l from 1 to 2 are shorter than the sides 5 from 1 to 3. The slope or angularity of the sides 4 preferably correspond in degree to the angular slope of the sides 6 of the case, while the slope of the sides 5 is less acute in degree. The valve 1) is provided with a combined operating-rod and axial guide-stem c, that portion thereof above the valve operating in a suitably-supported guide f and that portion below the valve operating is provided with a weight 8 when the valve itself is not sufficiently weighty to insure the desired results in causing the valve to descend by the force of gravity. Any suitable means may be employed for automatically elevating the valve 1) in operation.

The vessel which I preferably employ in which to produce the gas and to which the valve-case maybe directly connected comprises a circular tankj, adapted to retain water, and in the tank a somewhat similar vessel, inverted, so as to be substantially similar to a bell of a gasometer, which may be termed the receiver it, somewhat smaller in diameter than its tankj and having a cover Zinclosing its top, the cover having projections extending to the top of the tank j, to which the receiver is secured by suitable screw-nuts y and screw-studs or by other suitable means. The tank j has a funnelshaped bottom m, having a suitable gatevalve n, through which the slaked carbid and foul water may be removed.

A guide 0 is suitably supported in the tank j, and operatively mounted in the guide is a vertical push-bar 19, having a weight 9 arranged so as to engage the weightS, but preferably is not attached thereto, although usually in contact in operation. -A lever q is pivoted between its ends and is connected at one end thereof to the lower end of the bar 1) and at the other end thereof to a connecting push-rod 0", that extends upwardly between the walls of the tankj and the receiver 70 to a suitable height and having a lug s atpipe 00.

tached thereto, the lug being in the path of a finger t,suitably operated, the finger in the present case being attached to the top of the bellu, of common form, arranged in a tank 1) for receiving and storing the gas, from which the gas may be distributed through a service- The gas may be conveyed from the generator to the gasometer by means of a pipe 10, extending from a point near the cover I nearly to the lower portion of the bottom 'm, thence into the hell it, and to the plane of the top of the tank t, or thereabout.

The numerals 10 and 11 indicate the approximate height at which the sealing-water is maintained in the respective tanks.

The guide g is preferably secured to the case a, so as to be practically a part thereof, and detachably connected to the cover Z, so that a gas-tight joint is formed.

A hopper h is secured to the case Cb above the seat 6, and it has a suitable filling-plug t' or an equivalent cap. In this construction the guidefis supported in the hopper h.

In operation it will be understood that the hopper is to be supplied with carbid, my experience being that one-fourth inch size is satisfactory, and the valve 1) permitting small quantities of the carbid to drop into the sealing-water in the tank j, gas is formed in the receiver above the water, and there being no other avenue of escape under normal conditions passes through the pipe to into the hell it, causing the bell to rise, thus permitting the push-bar p to descend, and with it the valve 1), unless arrested by particles of carbid which may lodge between the valve and its case or the lower seat d. Should the valve not entirely close, the carbid would almost or entirely cease passing down, and

if a few grains descend these may balance the'amount of gas that may be consumed. In practice, however, theseparticles pass down almost immediately, thus allowing the valve to close and arrest the production of gas,

the carbid above the valve and the weight 8 forcing the valve to its lower seat, where it would remain until the supply of gas-in the hell it would diminish and allewthe bell to descend, when theyaivb would be again pushed up totee'd more carbid into the water below. Usually in operation the valve b would be nearly in mid-position between its seats, feeding more or less continually. It is designed that before the supply of gas in the bell U1 is exhausted after the carbid in the hopper 77. has been consumed the valve 1) will have been .pushed against its upper seat e, when it will preventgas from entering the hopper. Then the hopper may be refilled while the gas is still being used. In this case the lug s, which should be suitably arranged so as to be moved out of the path of the finger t, is disconnected from the finger and the rod 1* drawn upward, thus depressing the valve 1) until a sufficient quantity of carbid passes by the valve to increase the production of gas and again raise the hell it, so as to carry the finger 25 above the lug s, when the latter may be again set so as to be engaged by the finger and be operated automatically as before. Should more gas be produced than is required for consumption, the bell u will rise sufficiently to receive the surplus gas until the valve acts upon its lower seat and cuts off the supply of carbid. It will be seen that by reason of the peculiar relative contours of the valve b and the interior of the case a the valve is enabled to operate freely when the case has a charge of carbid therein, the valve practically engaging its seats near its part 1 of greatest diameter. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that when the valve 1) is in the position shown the opening below the valve will be greater in area than the opening above it, insuring free movement of the carbid. The movement of the valve and its stem 0 agitates the grains of carbid and augments the movement thereof. In Fig. 3

close the orifice at the seat 9 and cut off the flow there, as in Fig. 2, and the carbid in the case will pass down therefrom, while none can interfere with the valve being closed tightly against its upper seat e. It will be understood that there is an aperture in the extension of the cover Z to receive the rod 4,

and this, with other openings, (not shown,) may serve as vents if excessive pressure of gas should by any accidental means be produced in the receiver it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A carbid-feeding mechanism includinga valve-case having fixed opposing inner sides the upper and lower portions of which slope at different degrees ofangularity toward the ends of the case terminating at inlet and outlet openings having fixed areas, unyielding valve-seats at the openings, and a valve coniined between the said upper and lower portions and limited in its travel by the unyielding valve-seats.

2. A carbid-feeding mechanism comprising a valve-case the lower portion of which is in the form of a funnel having unyielding relatively long straight sloping sides approaching the perpendicular in degree of angularity and the upper portion of which is in the form of an inverted funnel having unyielding relatively short sloping sides approaching the horizontal in degree of angularity, a valve comprising conical-ends having straight faces diifering in degree of angularity, the angularity of the lower portion of the valve corresponding substantially to the angularity of the lower portion of the case and the angularity of the upper portion of the valve differing from the angularity of the upper portion of the case, the valve being confined operatively in the case, and seats for the valve.

3. In a carbid-gas generator, the combina tion with a water-tank, of a valve-case having two opposing valve-seats and an enlarged clear space between the two seats, a hopper communicating with the top of the valvecase, a guide in the hopper, a guide below the valve-case, a valve adapted to move partially through the orifices at the valve-seats and having a guide-stem engaging theIsaid guides, said valve having an enlarged portion intermediate of the ends thereof at either side of which it is adapted to engage one of said seats, a push-bar for the valve, a weight for depressing the valve, and means for operating the push-bar.

4. In a carbid-gas generator, the combina-.

tion of the water-tank, the gate-valve, the receiver secured immovably to the water-tank,

attached to the ends thereof, the guides engaging said stems, the weighted operatingstem connected to said guide-stem, the guide attached to said tank and having the push bar mounted therein, the lever engaging said push-bar, the coupling-rod connected to said lever, the gasometer-tank, the gasometer-bell operatively engaging said coupling-rod, the gas-pipe extending from the receiver into the bell, and the hopper at the top of the valvecase communicating therewith, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature Witnesses:

J. C. BARTONDALE, J. L. SMITH. 

